Lifting jack



Nov, 12, 1963 A. c. ACHTERBERG ETAL 3, 7

LIFTING JACK Filed April 9 1962 'IIIIIII/ United States Patent Ofifice 3,11 fi"475 Patented Nov. 12,1963

3,110,475 LlFTlNG JAK Arthur C. Achterberg, t. Joseph, and Millard B. Locker, Honor, Mich, assignors to Auto Specialties Mtg. (30., St. Joseph, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Apr. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 185,888 3 Claims. (Cl. 254-109) The present invention relates to lifting jacks, and more particularly to lifting jacks of a type especially suitable for use in connection with automobiles or other vehicles.

As will be understood, lifting jacks have heretofore been proposed for use with automobiles or for other purposes, which jacks include a toothed bar or rack adapted to be supported in the desired position by a foot member or other suitable means, and means including a ratchet mechanism shiftable along the toothed bar for supporting and moving a load to be lifted. When jacks of this general type are to be stored in a luggage compartment or trunk of a vehicle, it is desirable that they be constructed in a manner which facilitates such storage. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a structure which is relatively light in weight so that it may be readily handled when its use is required. 1

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novel toothed bar or rack bar type lifting jack structure which is relatively compact and light in weight and which may be easily assembled and disassembled whereby to facilitate both use and storage thereof.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a novel lifting jack of the above described type which is constructed in a manner which permits reductions in weight and in manufacturing costs while at the same time satisfies requirements as to strength and reliability.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel lifting jack structure of the above described type which is constructed in a manner which reduces wear and breakage of certain manufacturing tools whereby manufacturing costs are reduced.

A further specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel lifting jack of the above described type including load lifting means movable along a toothed bar and having a removable load engageable member which may be quickly and easily secured in assembled relationship.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view partially broken away and showing a lifting jack incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan viewof the lifting jack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a rack bar incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view taken along line 55 in FIG. 1. v

Referring now more specifically to the drawing wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, a lifting jack incorporating features of the present invention comprise a generally upstanding toothed bar or rack bar 12 and a foot member 14 for supporting the bar. Load lifting means 16 is mounted on the bar and is movable therealong in the manner described below.

In accordance with a feature of the present invention, the rack bar is constructed so that it is relatively light in weight and may be economically manufactured while at the same time it has the desired strength and rigidity. As shown best in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rack bar includes a leg portion 18 and a cross head portion 20 presents flanges 2.2 and 24 extending substantially at right angles from opposite sides of the central leg or web portion 18. Thus, the rack bar is provided with a generally T-shaped cross sectional configuration. This configuration may be easily and economically obtained by rolling a length of bar stock and the resulting rack bar is provided with relatively great strength and rigidity for its weight.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the leg or web portion 18 of the rack bar is provided with a plurality of teeth 26 spaced along a free vertical margin thereof. Each tooth 26 has an upwardly facing surface 28 which is inclined slightly downwardly from the horizontal for cooperating with the load lifting means in the manner described below. In addition, each tooth Z6 is formed with a downwardly facing surface 30 which is preferably inclined with respect to the horizontal at an angle greater than the angle of inclination of the surface 28 so as to increase the area and strength of the root portion of the tooth. However, it is to be noted that the teeth 26 are formed so that inner ends 32 and 34 of immediately adjacent tooth surfaces 28 and 30 are vertically spaced from each other so that the bottom of each notch between adjacent teeth is defined by a surface 36 of substantial vertical extent, the length of each surface 36 is similar to the vertical extent of outer generally flat end surfaces 38 of the teeth. It has been found that this construction not only-provides strong and rugged teeth, but also promotes reductions in manufacturing costs since the construction tends to minimize wear and breakage of manufacturing tools or dies.

The foot member 14 comprises a base portion 4t?- preferably stamped from sheet metal and a socket portion 42 also preferably stamped from sheet metal and positioned on and welded to the base 44 in the manner described below. The base pontion 49 is formed with a substantially flat peripheral flange 46. A substantially fiat annular horizontal section 48 is formed within the generally rectangular peripheral flange 46 of the base portion and is elevated above the peripheral flange and supported by a generally frusto-conieal section 50 as shown in FIG. 1. Rigid-ifying ribs 52 extend from integral junctions with the frusto-conical section 50 toward the corners of the generally reetangular base portion.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a central area of the base portion section 48 is formed downwardly for providing a well 5-!- having sloping side walls 56 and a bottom wall 58. The well has a generally triangular shape as shown best in FIG. 5 so that it is adapted to accommodate the lower end of the generally T-shaped rack bar. The upper end of the well is sufiiciently large to facilitate insertion of the lower end of the rack bar while the lower end of the well and particularly the bottom surface 53 has a peripheral configuration smaller than a corresponding imaginary figure provided by projecting lines between the marginal edges of the T-sh-aped bar. Thus, when the bar is inserted into the well as shown in FIG. 1, the lowermost corners of the bar portions 18, 22 and 24 will be wedged between the sloping sides of the Well for securely retaining the lower end of the bar in the desired position.

The socket member 42 is in the form of an inverted cup having a generally cylindrical side wall 6% merging with an upper end wall 62. A generally T-shaped opening 64 is provided in the upper end wall 62 substantially in alignment with the well 54 for receiving a lower end portion of the rack bar as shown in FIG. 1. The margins of the opening 64 cooperate with the sidewalls of the well in securely retaining the rack bar in the desired upright position. At the same time the rack bar may be easily removed from the well and the opening 64 for enabling the jack structure to be stored in a collapsed and relatively compact condition.

The socket member 42 is provided with four radially projecting flange segments 6-6 extending from a lower margin of the cylindrical side wall 69. As shown in FIG. 2, the flanges 66 are respectively generally in radial alignment with the rib portions 52 and are preferably spot welded to the section 48 as at 68 for promoting strength and rigidity in the structure. In order to insure proper alignment between the apertures 64 in the socket member and the well 54, tabs '70 are struck downwardly from a pair of the flanges 66, which tabs are inserted through locating apertures 72 formed in the section 48 before the flanges 66 are welded to the section 48.

The load lifting means 16 comprises a housing 74 preferably formed from sheet metal and having opposite side plates 76 and 78. The opposite side plates embrace the rack bar and, as shown best in FIG. 2, the side plates are formed inwardly for providing generally vertically elongated ribs 86' and S2 presenting bearing surfaces engageable behind the flanges 20 and 24 of the rack bar. Portions of the side plates project forwardly of the rack bar and a pin 84 extends between and connects lower margins of these portions as shown in FIG. 1. The pin 84 serves not only to connect the opposite side plates of the housing means but also as a bearing element disposed for sliding engagement and substantially line contact with a flat broad and forwardly facing bearing surface 86 provided by the flange portions 20 and 24 of the rack bar.

It is contemplated that the forwardly projecting portions of the housing side plates may be provided with either separately formed or integral rigid means engageable with a load to be lifted such as an automobile bumper or the like. However, in the preferred embodiment shown herein, a load engaging and lifting member '88 is shown, which member is adapted to be adjustably or pivotally connected to the forwardly projecting portions of the housing side plates. The member 88 is preferably formed from sheet metal and is provided with a central generally upstanding bight portion 90 which extends between and joins rearwardly projecting. opposite side sections 92 and 94. Lower ends of the bight portion and opposite side sections are formed upwardly to provide a hook 96 adapted to engage beneath the edge of an automobile bumper or the like. The member 88' is contoured for accommodating the form of an automobile bumper but since such bumpers vary Widely in shape the load lifting member is also pivotally supported so that its position may be adjusted for accommodating numerous different automobile bumpers.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opposite side sections 92 and 94 of the load engaging member 88 embrace the forwardly projecting portions of the housing side plates. A pivot pin 98 is secured between the side sections 92 and 94 at a location above the center of gravity of the \load engaging member 88. The pin projects through slots 100 formed in the forwardly projecting portions of the opposite housing side plates. As shown in FIG. 1, the slots 100 open at forward edges of the side plates so that the load engaging member may be easily assembled with or removed from the housing. The slots are inclined downwardly from their open ends so as to eliminate any possibility of the load engaging member becoming disassembled from the housing while under load.

Means is provided for releasably retaining the pin 98- in the slots 100 in a manner which enables the jack structure to be handled or positioned without danger of the pin 98 accidentally slipping from the slots 160. .At

the same time, the retaining means is such that the load engaging member may be easily assembled with or removed from the housing whenever desired by the operator. This means comprises a spring 102 secured between the opposite side plates of the housing immediately above the notches 10%. The coil spring 102 is formed so that the coils thereof progressively increase in diameter from the opposite ends of the spring toward the center thereof as shown best in FIG. 2. The spring is positioned so that at least the relatively large centrally located coils thereof are adapted to engage the pin 98 as shown in FIG. 1 and provide a restriction at the open mouths of the slots 1% for restraining the pin. However, the spring is adapted to flex transversely of its axis sufficiently to permit the pin 98 to pass whenever the load engaging member is manually manipulated for forcing the pin 98 into the slots or pulling the pin 98 outwardly from the slots.

The load lifting means 16 is provided with an actuating mechanism 104 carried by the housing 74. The actuating mechanism includes a lever 106 pivotally supported between the housing side plates 76 and 78 on a pin 108. This operating lever has a tubular portion 119 extending rearwardly from the housing and adapted removably to receive a rod or handle 112 which may be used by an operator for manipulating the mechanism.

A first or upper pawl 114- is also pivotally supported by the pin 10% and is adapted to engage the teeth on the rack bar. A second or lower pawl 1 16 is pivotally supported on a pin 118 extending between opposite side sections of the lever 10 6. A spring 120 has one end pivotally connected to the pawl 1.14 at 12 2 and an opposite end 124 connected to the pawl 116. A finger 126 is pivotally mounted on the housing by pin 128 for engagement with an intermediate portion 130 of the spring as shown in FIG. 1. When the finger is in engagement with the spring, the spring serves to urge the pawls toward the left as shown in FIG. 1 for engagement with the rack teeth. The load lifting means may then be raised by actuating the handle 1112 in a manner which will be understood. When the handle is raised, the pawl 114 is in engagement with a tooth and serves to prevent downward movement of the load lifting means while the pawl 116 is lifted upwardly and snapped over another tooth. Upon subsequent downward movement of the handle, the pawl 1116 serves to support the load lifting housing while the housing is moved upwardly sufliciently to snap the pawl 114 over the next higher tooth. In order to lower the load lifting means, the finger 126 is pivoted so that it is disengaged from the spring whereupon up and down movement of the operating handle 112 will reverse the operation of the actuating or ratchet mechanism and permit lowering of the load lifting means.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, it is obvious that many structural details may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A lifting jack of the type described comprising an elongated upright rack bar, foot means detachably connected with a lower end of said rack bar for maintain ing the rack bar in an upright position, said rack bar including an upright longitudinally extending web section having a predetermined width greater than its thickness, said websection being disposed with one longitudinal margin thereof facing forwardlyand an opposite longitudinally extending edge facing rearwardly, said rack bar including a pair of flange sections integral with each other and with said forwardly facing margin of the web section and extending oppositely at substantially right angles from said web section, each of said flange sections having a width greater than its thickness and said flange sections having a combined width similar to said predetermined width of the web section whereby to provide said rack bar with a substantially T-shaped cross sectional configuration, said flange sections presenting a broad substantially fiat and substantially uninterruped forwardly facing bearing surface along the length of the rack bar, the web portion of said rack bar having a plurality of tooth means formed in and spaced along said rearwardly facing edge and spaced substantially rearwardly of said flange sections, each of said tooth means having a substantially straight upwardly facing surface section, a longitudinally extending substantially straight outer end surface section of substantial length and a generally downwardly facing substantially straight surface section, the downwardly facing surface section of each tooth means being spaced from an adjacent upwardly facing section of an adjacent tooth means by a generally straight longitudinally extending surface section of said edge having a length substantially equal to said length of the outer end surface of the tooth means, each of said upwardly facing surface sections of said tooth means being inclined downwardly and rearwardly from an adjacent surface section of said edge to its associated outer end surface section at a relatively small angle from the horizontal, each of said downwardly facing sections being inclined down- Wardly and inwardly from its associated outer end surface section to an adjacent surface section of said edge at a relatively large angle from the horizontal, a load lifting housing shiftable along said rack bar, means on said housing engageable with said forwardly facing bearing surface, additional means on said housing extending behind said flange sections of the rack bar for guiding the housing along the rack bar, ratchet mechanism carried by said housing and engageable with said tooth means and operable for shifting the housing along the rack bar, and load engaging means on said housing.

2. A lifting jack, as defined in claim 1, wherein said foot member comprises a sheet metal base portion having a first ground engageable peripheral section and an elevated intermediate portion having a depressed well section therein for receiving a lower terminal end of said rack bar, and an inverted cup-shaped socket member on said intermediate portion, said socket member including a generally cylindrical upstanding side Wall merging with a transversely extending upper end wall, said upper end Wall having a T-shaped rack bar accommodating aperture therethrough generally aligned with said well section, and flange means extending radially outwardly from a lower margin of said cylindrical wall and secured to said intermediate portion.

3. A lifting jack, as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing comprises opposite side plates including portions extending forwardly of said flange sections of the rack bar, said forwardly extending portions of the housing having aligned slot means therein opening at forward margins thereof, said load engaging means including a pin element extending through and pivotally supported in said slot means, and a spring element mounted on said forwardly extending portions of said side plates adjacent said slot means and yieldably restricting the opening of the slot mean-s for releasably retaining said pin element within the slot means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 221,230 Haverstick Nov. 4, 1879 479,971 Carr Aug. 2, 1892 1,497,046 Trusler June 10, 1924 2,258,827 Tracht Oct. 14, 1941 2,396,103 Kais Mar. 5, 1946 2,499,818 Dedricks Mar. 7, 1950 2,630,297 Hunz Mar. 3, 1953 2,743,903 Lucker May 1, 1956 2,786,650 Bottorif Mar. 26, 1957 2,951,679 Volkert Sept. 6, 1960 2,962,261 Lucker Nov. 29, 1960 

1. A LIFTING JACK OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED COMPRISING AN ELONGATED UPRIGHT RACK BAR, FOOT MEANS DETACHABLY CONNECTED WITH A LOWER END OF SAID RACK BAR FOR MAINTAINING THE RACK BAR IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION, SAID RACK BAR INCLUDING AN UPRIGHT LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING WEB SECTION HAVING A PREDETERMINED WIDTH GREATER THAN ITS THICKNESS, SAID WEB SECTION BEING DISPOSED WITH ONE LONGITUDINAL MARGIN THEREOF FACING FORWARDLY AND AN OPPOSITE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING EDGE FACING REARWARDLY, SAID RACK BAR INCLUDING A PAIR OF FLANGE SECTIONS INTEGRAL WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID FORWARDLY FACING MARGIN OF THE WEB SECTION AND EXTENDING OPPOSITELY AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES FROM SAID WEB SECTION, EACH OF SAID FLANGE SECTIONS HAVING A WIDTH GREATER THAN ITS THICKNESS AND SAID FLANGE SECTIONS HAVING A COMBINED WIDTH SIMILAR TO SAID PREDETERMINED WIDTH OF THE WEB SECTION WHEREBY TO PROVIDE SAID RACK BAR WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY T-SHAPED CROSS SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION, SAID FLANGE SECTIONS PRESENTING A BROAD SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNINTERRUPED FORWARDLY FACING BEARING SURFACE ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE RACK BAR, THE WEB PORTION OF SAID RACK BAR HAVING A PLURALITY OF TOOTH MEANS FORMED IN AND SPACED ALONG SAID REARWARDLY FACING EDGE AND SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY REARWARDLY OF SAID FLANGE SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID TOOTH MEANS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT UPWARDLY FACING SURFACE SECTION, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT OUTER END SURFACE SECTION OF SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH AND A GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY FACING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT SURFACE SECTION, THE DOWNWARDLY FACING SURFACE SECTION OF EACH TOOTH MEANS BEING SPACED FROM AN ADJACENT UPWARDLY FACING SECTION OF AN ADJACENT TOOTH MEANS BY A GENERALLY STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SURFACE SECTION OF SAID EDGE HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID LENGTH OF THE OUTER END SURFACE OF THE TOOTH MEANS, EACH OF SAID UPWARDLY FACING SURFACE SECTIONS OF SAID TOOTH MEANS BEING INCLINED DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM AN ADJACENT SURFACE SECTION OF SAID EDGE TO ITS ASSOCIATED OUTER END SURFACE SECTION AT A RELATIVELY SMALL ANGLE FROM THE HORIZONTAL, EACH OF SAID DOWNWARDLY FACING SECTIONS BEING INCLINED DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY FROM ITS ASSOCIATED OUTER END SURFACE SECTION TO AN ADJACENT SURFACE SECTION OF SAID EDGE AT A RELATIVELY LARGE ANGLE FROM THE HORIZONTAL, A LOAD LIFTING HOUSING SHIFTABLE ALONG SAID RACK BAR, MEANS ON SAID HOUSING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FORWARDLY FACING BEARING SURFACE, ADDITIONAL MEANS ON SAID HOUSING EXTENDING BEHIND SAID FLANGE SECTIONS OF THE RACK BAR FOR GUIDING THE HOUSING ALONG THE RACK BAR, RATCHET MECHANISM CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID TOOTH MEANS AND OPERABLE FOR SHIFTING THE HOUSING ALONG THE RACK BAR, AND LOAD ENGAGING MEANS ON SAID HOUSING. 